On our first day, a rather dishevelled, heavy-set man–who might easily have been mistaken for a vagrant, except the streets are not littered with disposed human beings.

Hmmm. On our first day in London a few years back, we ended up staying near King’s Cross (a mistake, perhaps, but it worked out OK). The streets there were, indeed, littered with vagrant junkies sitting on stoops. They did not seem dangerous (one actually helpfully pointed out the water dripping from our rental car’s air conditioner – thinking we had some kind of leak), but there were plenty of ’em.

The free museums were nice – making it possible to stop in for an hour and see a small portion rather than pay a hefty admission fee and feel one had to spend the day. Somehow I don’t remember the Royal Observatory at Greenwich and the Maritime Museum being free, though, I’m pretty sure we paid an admissions fee there. Getting to see the Harrison clocks and wander up and peer through the ‘hatch’ into the ‘cabin’ of the James B Caird was worth it, though. H*ly Sh*t.

Belly buttons? That does not seem much of a cultural difference, but then I live in a university town and have high school aged kids who bring their friends around, so there’s no navel shortage.

The free museums were nice – making it possible to stop in for an hour and see a small portion rather than pay a hefty admission fee and feel one had to spend the day.
I agree that free museums are nice, but which museums have you been to that the admission was “hefty” enough to make you feel you had to spend an entire day there? A lot of museums are free in the States (Smithsonian for one) and OZ (NMoA) too. I remember coughing up 70 yen (60¢ at the time) for the Tokyo Kokuritsu hakubustukan, though I went as a student, so maybe I paid discounted admission; thought it could cost more than a dollar dollar.
I can’t recall spending more than $5 or $10 (hardly hefty, especially since children are usually free) for any museum other than NYMoMA, which was maybe $20, but worth it.

Journalists on T.V. ask politicans real questions and call them on their bullshit, at least some of the time.

I strongly disagree. It’s true that the questions are often delivered in an antagonistic, skeptical tone, casting doubt on each premise that the interviewee has been summoned to defend. In fact, though, the confrontational displays I saw (on a recent visit) were all just a cleverly disguised version of the American softball style: the interviewer mimicked a caricature of the interviewee’s opponents, threw out a few lame challenges in that voice, and let the interviewee demolish them.

This format naturally pleases everyone involved: the interviewer ends up looking tough, the interviewee looks clever and articulate, and the gullible audience imagines it’s just seen a lively debate.

Blue Planet Aquarium (Adults £9.95, children £7.50family £34.00 (2+2). ) Chester Zoo (similar), London Eye (never tempted me). Heck, the gate-keeping gentleman at Christchurch college oxford wanted £2 per tourist to peruse the garden paths… (he was satisfied by a shocked “In MY day this would never have happened!”